1. Field of the Invention
The present invention lies in the field of refuse and leaf collection, and more particularly relates to an attachment for use in conjunction with conventional plastic leaf bags or the like, whereby the bags are maintained on a horizontal surface, such as a lawn, pavement, floor, with the open end of the bag disposed in a vertical plane to permit ready filling of the bag by a rake, sweeper, etc.
2. The Prior Art
Recently, plastic bags, particularly vinyl plastic bags, have found increasing use as collectors and receptacles for leaves, trash and the like. In certain applications, such as leaf collection, bags are typically filled by manually retaining the bag mouths in a vertical plane and sweeping or raking the leaves into the bag mouth.
In order to facilitate bag filling, numerous concepts have been advanced for maintaining the bag in open position so that the operator may concentrate his attention on forcing the leaves or other material into the bag rather than on maintaining the bag in the desired position for filling. As examples of such bag holders, reference may be made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,135,984; 3,604,677; 3,627,243; 3,697,030; 3,744,081; 3,747,653 and 3,754,785. Each of the noted patents purports to relate to a bag attachment for facilitating the filling thereof. However, each of the patents fails in one or more of the following aspects: requiring the use of stakes or spikes to be driven into the ground as the means for supporting the bag, and hence being unuseable on hard surfaces; employing complex and therefore expensive parts and components; requiring manual or foot manipulation to support the bag mouth in open position; providing no means for assuring that the bag will be distended in a lengthwise direction; and involving substantial bulk so that the units must be encased in relatively large cartons for shipping and occupy sustantial storage space when not in use.